I Need an Office

I'm not organized.  Often I will temporarily get better, get everything in an area all organized, and then it falls apart later. Yes, that is my pattern.  I confess, I drive myself crazy.

But lately I've been planning school on my own.  (I know...I have a mostly pre-planned curriculum.  Mostly isn't completely, though, and God sometimes mixes things up.)  Between household and school, I NEED some organization...and an office of my own.

There isn't a spare room for an office.  One day...maybe, but not for several years.  So, I'm brainstorming what to do, how to creatively create my own space.

My husband and I were joking with the kids today about getting them cubicles.  We have a school/play room we set up last year after my oldest two daughters moved out to go to college. Lately, only one daughter actually does her school in there.  My tenth grader likes the dining room table better.  She's less distracted, or so she says.  

The cubicle joke was made because the tenth grader is easily distracted.  Of course, we also teased her about her lack of organization (no...she didn't get it from me).  We also teased the eighth grader that her cat obsession would mean her cubicle would be full of cat posters.  She didn't deny it.

The cubicle joke got me thinking.  Could I find a way to create a space, somewhere in our home, for the desk and some shelves and draws?  

I don't need the kitty posters.

I dream of a place to sit down and plan homeschool; to have my house binder and bill binder and school binders and kids' church plans on a neat, organized shelf, lined up pretty and easily accessible.  I would love to have a place for my Bible study materials!

The more I think of it, the more I want it.  I had a system set up a few years ago, but it didn't work out as planned.  There was NO space.  We had two more children at home then.  I had it set up in the living room.  It quickly became the catch-all for everyone's things.  It sat by the couch, so it often had a cup on it.  I did all internet stuff on my desktop, as this was before smartphones or tablets.  Planning was difficult because I had to plan in two different areas.  

At Christmas, room for the tree took precedence.  My desk was moved, never to return to the living room again.

It sits lonely in the school room now, cluttered with homeschooling materials.  

Maybe I can breathe new life into her.  I often do everything at the dining room table because it's the most spacious.  If the desk isn't roomy, I know I won't use it like I should.  But if I use shelves, and can keep clutter from a accumulating, I think having my own desk would be quite beneficial.

I may be only dreaming, but I'm definitely going to look into this with more devotion.